L.A. firefighters on 9-11 ride reach Big Apple

They pedaled through intense heat, pouring rain and pounding hail, but nearly a dozen firefighters who left on bicycles from Los Angeles six weeks ago made it to New York just in time.

"They've been unstoppable," said Erik Scott, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

"I think some of the amazing things they've done is the terrain they've gone through," Scott said. "They are exhausted but in good spirits."

As part of the national "Ride for 9-11," firefighters from Los Angeles city and county and other stations across Southern California cycled cross-country to raise money for charity and honor the 343 firefighters who died in the collapse of the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

Their rode for six weeks, from fire station to fire station across 3,308 miles, reaching New York City in time to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9-11.

Los Angeles City firefighter Scott Smith said when he and the others arrived into Manhattan at 3:30 p.m. Friday, they experienced a feeling like no other.

"When we saw the city, it all hit us at once," Smith said. "The biggest challenge wasn't cycling. It was reaching out to people, making sure they remember."

The local firefighters began their trip on July 23 at the Hollywood station - also home to the LAFD Historical Society Museum, where 19th century engines and apparatus are preserved.

They stopped in Joplin, Mo., which was devastated by a tornado in May, and in Oklahoma City, where a truck bomb killed 168 people in 1995.

Then on to Shanksville, Pa., where the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after a rebellion by passengers, and the Pentagon, where American Airlines Flight 77, also hijacked on Sept. 11, crashed.

"They're very appreciative of the encouraging comments that they hear from others and have been warmly surprised by those that they've met along the way," Scott said. "We're really proud of them."

Los Angeles firefighter Smith was among the cyclists who blogged about the rides of nearly 100 miles per day.

"I meet people in every city and ask them questions about 9-11, about military they may have ties to, or about their own local tragedies," Smith wrote.

"This ride has made me want more people to never forget."

Money raised from the ride will benefit the Leary Firefighters Foundation, created in 2000 by actor Denis Leary (who portrays a firefighter in FX's "Rescue Me") to help fire departments buy top-notch equipment and technology.

Funds also will go toward the Wounded Warriors Project, which supports severely injured service members as they transition to civilian life.

Los Angeles firefighter Jason Teter was joined by volunteer firefighter Chris Rupp, who rode in to Los Angeles from Wisconsin for Fire Ride: Tribute 2011. They too planned to pedal cross-country and planned to meet up with those from Ride for 9-11 in Chicago, before finishing together in New York City.

"I'm counting down the last 100 miles of a 47 day, 3627 mile bike ride," he wrote on his blog dated Sept. 7. He felt a sense of honor when he saw a group of Marines also cycling to New York.

"I'm a small part in a really big thing. I felt a sense of honor," Teter wrote. "We were all traveling the same road for the same cause. We are paying our respects to those who gave everything to keep us safe, and free."